On Thursday, December 1, we had the absolute pleasure to show our classmates San Giovanni, Italy. Our tour included the Saint Francis of Assisi monument, The Lateran Palace, Basilica of Saint John Lateran, and the Holy Stairs. The Assisi monument is located adjacent to the Basilica and was created in remembrance of the 700th anniversary of Saint Francis’s death. It shows the wonderful saint’s arms wide open with his stone disciples surrounding him. Secondly, the Lateran Palace used to be the home of the popes for about a thousand years until it moved to the Vatican. Today, it is...

Last week, our Education group took a tour of the Sistine Chapel which can be found in the Vatican City. The Sistine Chapel is named after Pope Sixtus IV because he was the man that commissioned it. In 1508, Michelangelo who was 33 at the time was asked by Julius II to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. At first Michelangelo, did not want to paint it because he was already working on a marble project for Pope Julius II and he did not consider himself as painter. The ceiling is divided in nine scenes that come from the Book of Genesis, portraying the creation of the world from light to...

Tom, Sean, and I had our walking tour in Rome this week. We toured three sites including the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and Santo Augustino. We started our tour at the Pantheon, which means “Honor all gods” in Greek. The most preserved construction of ancient Rome, the Pantheon was dedicated to all the gods of ancient Rome. Outside of the Pantheon, there is a fountain in the plaza. Fontana del Pantheon was ordered by Pope Gregory the 13 and modified with a different basin in 1711 by Pope Clement the 11. In 1711, the marble figures were removed and replaced by Luigi Amici and can be seen in the...